Not to worry; I'm Doing My Part for the World Economy

It's quite simple, actually.
Just do as I've done this week, and purchase something from an international seller on Ebay.

Remember my obsession with French Art Deco pate de verre chandeliers? Examples are here and here. Well, I've continued to stalk them on Ebay, and I recently found this little lovely. It's 'in the style of' Schneider, although it's not a signed piece.

It was listed by a British expat, currently living in France. Now that the dollar to GBP ratio has improved a bit, the price for the light wasn't so bad. It seemed, well, silly not to jump in and purchase it.

So, voila, a Paypal purchase in British pounds, a boost to the French economy, and the French postal system ought to help things out a bit.

Before anyone gets all up in arms and says 'what about America?!'
Again, not to worry.

The chandelier will still need to be updated for US electrical voltage, and Smithy insists that the silk cords and modern ceiling canopy need to go. So, the local lighting company will have a shot at rewiring the light, and a certain local blacksmith will rework the hanging structure.

Smithy is talking about forging long brass or copper hooks to suspend the chandelier. I'm not sure yet whether he will also forge a ceiling canopy, of if I'll go with a store-bought one. We're inspired the gorgeous, drool-worthy Deco lights at Decorum in San Francisco, but toned down a bit with non-ferrous (that's the official word for non-iron metal, like copper and brass) materials instead of the nickel finish on Decorum's lights :

Gorgeous, aren't they?

So, it's simple really.
Ebay. The answer to the global economic downturn.

(Y'all know this is all tongue-in-cheek, right?)

Hydrangea Blue

Like lots of people with more creative ideas than time, I have a looong list of unfinished house projects. That doesn't seem to stop me from brainstorming about the next project though...

So, one of the things I'd like to tackle this summer is a mini-makeover of my front porch. Just some fairly simple cosmetic things, but not anything requiring rebuilding . One of the simplest things that I want to do is repaint the front door, and change the color scheme a bit. While I'm at it, I will probably paint the vintage metal glider on the porch, and spruce up the throw pillows. I've had a coral-red front door for about ten years now, and while I love the color, I'm longing for something a little different. Something soothing and serene, but a little bit funky too.

Photo of SMITHY'S rails (and our red door) by LOUIS CAHILL.

Naturally, I've been pacing back and forth in the front yard with a couple of Benjamin Moore fan decks, drawing strange looks from the neighbors, and the color range that I keep coming back to is mid-blue. A stroll in the back garden helped clarify the idea: the color I'm looking for is a hydrangea blue.



In case you've ever wondered, there are about 3 Benjamin Moore colors that could fit the bill, depending on the depth of color you prefer. (Yes, I held a hydrangea blossom up the the fan deck.) In the Classic Colors fan deck, Aqua Marina 816 is the best match, but the lighter Swiss Blue 815, or the deeper Brazilian Blue 817 could also be in the correct family. See HERE.



Here's what the Benjamin Moore site has to say about blue in their Color Associations section:
"Blue is non-threatening, and is a symbol of trust and longevity. It is refreshing, soothing, calm, and dependable."
Perfect!

And, if you're looking for the real deal, here are a couple of great resources. Wilkerson Mill Gardens is an amazing and informative mail order nursery which specializes in hydrangeas. They are only shipping plants through the end of May, then will resume shipping in the fall when the weather cools off again. I still haven't made it to their retail location, but if you are in the metro Atlanta area, I understand it is well worth the drive to check out the nursery.

Another mail order favorite is Nurseries Caroliniana. They have many pages of hydrangeas in their catalog, in addition to an amazing variety of other plants, and I've been very happy with plants purchased from them.

Although some of the their links aren't working at the moment, The American Hydrangea Society is another good source of information.

Renowned plantsman Michael Dirr has a book on hydrangeas HERE.

And for more general info, the National Arboretum has a page dedicated to hydrangeas.